From Serf to Swordmaster, Chapter 29
From Serf to Swordmaster, Chapter 29
The mounted pair that had been charging at full speed gradually slowed. There were only two unexpected visitors, yet every gaze and movement at the scene fixed on them.
'So that's House Kronval.'
Berak studied the emblem on the flag they carried. Within a field divided into four quarters by a cross, different symbols were arranged. Two keys, and two clusters of stars.
The visitors ignored the stares pouring toward them and searched the group with their eyes, clearly desperate to confirm something. Berak did not miss the gladness that soon crossed their faces.
They reined in before the party, hurriedly dismounted, and bowed.
"It has been a long time, Young Master!"
'......!'
Those gathered could not contain their shock. Berak's reaction—a slight nod of the head as he took one step aside—was among the mildest of them all.
Because the person before whom the marquis house's people had rushed to bow their heads was none other than Kyle.
Kyle stood at the center, silently watching the visitors with a furrowed brow.
One of them stepped forward. The gladness on his face vanished at once, replaced by an inexplicably somber look.
"Young Master! The family head is critically ill. He left word that he wishes to see you one last time."
The man standing beside him continued urgently.
"Accordingly, the young marquis ordered us to bring his elder brother back by any means necessary. We have been riding from place to place, asking after where you might be."
Blue veins bulged over Kyle's clenched fist.
"That old man......"
Berak reached the conclusion immediately: Captain Kyle was the son of the Marquis of Kronval. It was surprising, but not enough to leave him reeling.
However, there were still those who had not come to their senses. Tobain was one of them.
"Wh-what in the world is the meaning of this! You appear to be retainers of the marquis house, so why do you bow your heads to a mere mercenary!"
Anger immediately flashed in the sword-bearing messengers' eyes.
"You dare insult the eldest son of Kronval!"
"It would be only proper to challenge you to a duel and cut out that tongue, but know that you owe your life to the urgency of the matter."
After delivering the cold warning, they turned back to Kyle.
"We have prepared one additional horse. Right now, at once......."
Kyle raised a hand and cut them off.
"Before that, do you know the situation at the mercenary company headquarters? If you came here by guessing my location, you must have passed through there."
The messengers glanced at one another for a moment.
"The atmosphere was unsettled."
"When we slipped out, we noticed preparations to blockade the headquarters from outside... but we decided delivering this news had to come first, so we rode straight here."
Kyle closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them.
"First, we go to the headquarters."
"But Young Master, right now every moment is......."
"Enough. We will move as quickly as possible."
Tobain, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation, turned red in the face.
"Who do you think you are, leaving your post on your own authority?"
Kyle's cold gaze pierced Tobain.
"Can you bear it? The price of a mere knight obstructing the will of the Marquis of Kronval."
Tobain's entire body trembled with shame and fury.
"Th-this......! If you insist, then I will permit you alone to leave! But those mercenary bastards over there......"
"That will not do. These people are as good as my own hands and feet. Blocking them is the same as blocking me."
Thud, thud.
At that declaration, the mercenaries' morale surged, and they stamped their feet with a clatter of metal.
Vivian, who had been watching the exchange, smoothly inserted herself into the conversation.
"Oh my, please forgive me for failing to recognize a son of the marquis house. As every moment appears to count, may we, being familiar with Hellvern's geography, provide escort and guidance? We will also cover the cost of remounts for all the mercenaries under your command."
Berak found Vivian's abrupt shift in speech nearly as surprising as Kyle's background.
Her usual stiff way of speaking had already vanished without a trace.
To Berak, the new way she spoke was difficult to get used to.
Kyle nodded.
"I will gladly accept that kindness."
Tobain's complexion had now turned dark red, like a drunkard's.
"Young lady! Did you not say that you could not leave the area on your own authority! There is an epidemic throughout this region......."
"Hmph. The moment you did not dare block the marquis house, you proved that was nothing but a pathetic pretext, did you not? As you can see, I am escorting an honored guest. Do you still mean to block the road?"
"Grgh......!"
Berak's sharpened senses caught the sound of teeth grinding from a surprising distance.
"Clear the road!"
The knights behind Tobain reluctantly turned their horses aside. Berak and the others rode straight through the opening.
* * *
Thunder of hooves—!
Hooves tore at the ground. Everyone had reason to ride at full speed. Vivian needed to reach the city before another attempt to obstruct her, while Kyle had to settle matters at the company headquarters and reach his family as quickly as possible.
For Berak, however, riding in that formation was sheer misery.
He had learned how to ride. He had experienced the rhythm of a trot. But this kind of all-out gallop was the first in his life.
The ground seemed to be sucked backward beneath him. The scenery blurred, and his field of vision narrowed to a pinhole.
'Ugh......!'
He instinctively ducked against the rushing wind and nearly lost his balance. He barely corrected his posture. To absorb the violent jolts, he lifted slightly out of the saddle and desperately tried to carry his weight through the stirrups.
「Riding + 1」
A notice appeared showing that he was gradually adapting, but he had no attention to spare for it. Berak was suffering from two problems at once, both caused by his overwhelming strength.
Even when he felt his center of balance wavering, he could not recklessly apply force.
Every time his fingers tightened, he felt the horse tremble faintly through the reins. Afraid the pressure on the bit might crush the inside of its mouth, Berak had to consciously relax his grip.
Needless to say, the same went for his thighs wrapped around the horse's belly.
He had to constantly restrain the pressure threatening to break the saddle, leaving him feeling as though he were precariously floating on the horse.
「Riding + 1」
「Riding + 1」
"Haa......."
Only after entering the city streets, where foot traffic was heavy, did the horses' speed slacken. Berak finally let out a sigh of relief.
Passersby naturally stared at Vivian's party. Some recognized the lord's daughter, but what drew the most attention was the enormous wolf head.
"This far is enough. Melphis has gone to fetch a carriage, so now we only need to march with the head displayed. There are already many residents of the domain who have witnessed it, and no one will have the nerve to attack openly in such a bustling district. The means to check me have effectively vanished."
At Vivian's confident voice, Kyle gave a faint smile.
"You need not keep yourself bound by formalities. I left my house long ago, so now I am merely a mercenary captain."
Vivian changed her attitude without a moment's hesitation.
"Really? Thank you. I was already having quite a hard time keeping up with the formalities. But I will never forget that we overcame crisis after crisis thanks to you, Captain. I will consider a fitting reward and send it before long."
"Thank you. The remaining company members besides myself will accompany you until you safely enter the castle, my lady."
Berak guessed the idea was to prevent any unforeseen complication, ensure the mission was completed, and make the bond between the young lady and the mercenary company clear to the public.
Kyle immediately turned his horse along with the messengers. Berak saw an unfamiliar anxiety in his profile.
'Is it simply because he's worried about the mercenary company? Or is it his father's situation beyond that that weighs on his mind.......'
If it was the latter, honestly, it was hard to sympathize.
Berak briefly thought of his own father. It felt like a distant memory, though less than a year had passed since he left home. He felt no renewed anger, nor any lingering hatred.
What was certain, though, was that even if he heard news of his father, he would never be shaken the way Kyle was.
But he could understand the feeling if the person involved was not a father but someone precious. Without realizing it, Berak now had several people he cared about.
Perhaps she had read something in Berak's gaze as he watched Kyle. Vivian spoke in a low voice.
"Berak, go with the captain. He may find himself in a situation where another capable pair of hands is badly needed."
Berak bowed his head in greeting, then mounted his horse again.
* * *
When Berak drew his horse alongside, Kyle turned toward him. They were still crossing the city center, so they could not ride at the earlier pace and were close enough to speak. Instead of asking why Berak had followed, Kyle welcomed him with a brief nod.
"You must have been quite surprised."
"I think the other company members were more surprised than I was. Was it a secret?"
"It wasn't exactly a secret. All the officers knew. A few sharp-eyed fellows knew as well. Well, now even the people of Hellvern will all come to know."
Berak recalled a conversation they had shared one deep night during this journey.
"The story of the eldest son who was pushed out of the line of succession...... that was about you, Captain."
"Yes. He's my younger brother, but his talent alone was something I could never hope to match."
"Still, was there any need to keep it hidden? A background of noble birth would have been an advantage many times over."
Kyle shook his head with a bitter expression.
"I resolved to leave without taking a single share for myself. There was no reason to dig up my own past. It's just that......."
Kyle's gaze brushed over the marquis house flag carried by the messengers.
"Family ties seem to be more tenacious than I expected."
Berak did not ask further. From Kyle's eyes, however, he sensed that part of his urgency came from a clear need to return "home."
As soon as they broke through the bustling crowd, the party silently increased their speed.
Before long, the Silver Hawk headquarters came into view in the Stormwell district.
"Oh no......!"
One of the messengers lamented. A crude barricade made of timber, carts, and the like already firmly blocked the road ahead. Dozens of soldiers were also arrayed there.
"All of you, stand aside!"
Kyle snapped in a razor-edged voice. A man who seemed to outrank the other soldiers cautiously stepped forward.
"Turn back! There are orders not to let anyone in here until the investigation is complete!"
"You dare block the return of the Silver Hawk's captain here in Hellvern!"
"Captain? You mean the captain of the Silver Hawk?"
The soldier showed a moment of bewilderment, but soon lifted his chin and shot back.
"I don't know anything about that! Wait outside until orders come down from above!"
"This is an affair of Kronval! Do you mean to block its path!"
The messenger beside him invoked the family name to pressure them, but it had no effect on the ignorant soldiers.
"What's Kronval?"
They could not even recognize the elaborate coat of arms. Frustrated, the messenger raised his voice further.
"We are carrying out an urgent mission for the marquis house!"
"Uh, well, then just a moment... I'll go ask inside......."
The soldier retreated backward in a fluster, but there was no sign of the blockade being lifted.
Meanwhile, Berak was keenly scanning the surroundings.
The tangled barricade blocking the road leading inside, and the supply carts stacked in layers.
Berak strained his excellent hearing toward what lay beyond.
Just inside the entrance came the rough snorting of horses and the metallic scrape of hooves against the ground.
They sounded like trained horses, much like those Berak had seen so often during the recent journey.
Moreover, he did not miss the fact that the soldier's gaze, as he looked for a superior, was directed deep into the headquarters yard.
"The person in charge is inside. Shall I clear the way?"
"How did you find that out......?"
Restraining the messengers who were about to ask, Kyle nodded.
"Please do."
Berak did not hesitate. He immediately kicked his horse's flank and burst forward like a storm.
"Hyaaah!"
A lone rider charged straight ahead with overwhelming momentum.
"Wh-what the!"
"Stop him! Stop that bastard!"
Some scattered in panic, while those who failed to dodge awkwardly raised their spear shafts to block the path.
CRASH—!
But the clumsily gripped spears were sliced apart in a single stroke by the greatsword Berak swung, and soared into the air. The soldiers, unable to withstand the impact, tumbled across the ground as if flung away.
THUD—!
'Tch, I guess a mounted charge is still beyond me.'
Perhaps because his proficiency was still lacking, Berak too rolled off the horse with the recoil.
However, after rolling once more across the ground to kill the impact, he immediately hurled his body toward the barricade.
CRASH—! CRUNCH!
There was no finesse. It was pure violence aimed solely at destruction.
With an axe in one hand and a greatsword in the other, Berak barreled forward like a bear charging through and crushing branches.
"A m-monster!"
At the soldiers' cries, the messengers nodded vigorously in agreement.
"What in the world is that boy?"
"Well? If I built a mercenary company capable of having someone like him among its ranks, wasn't leaving the family worth it?"
Kyle answered with a smile and rode without hesitation down the path Berak had smashed open.